Thomas Built Buses adds FuelSense as standard equipment

HIGH POINT, N.C. — Thomas Built Buses has teamed up with Allison Transmission to offer FuelSense fuel-saving technology as standard equipment on several of its school buses.

The standard FuelSense package will include Allison 5th Generation Electronic Controls; EcoCal, which is a defined set of low and “super” low speed shift schedules designed to keep the engine speed at its optimum point; and Dynamic Shift Sensing, which automatically selects between EcoCal or a higher-speed shift schedule, based on the vehicle load and the operating grade, to provide the best fuel economy and performance for the given operating conditions.

There are two optional packages available: FuelSense Plus and FuelSense Max. FuelSense Plus adds the Neutral at Stop feature to reduce non-productive fuel consumption when the bus is stopped.

The top-of-the line package, FuelSense Max, includes the features in FuelSense Plus and adds Acceleration Rate Management, which, based on vehicle load and operating grade, controls the torque of the engine to mitigate aggressive driving and further maximize fuel savings. Company officials said that buses with the FuelSense Max technology can achieve maximum fuel economy and realize fuel savings up to 10%, compared to school buses with the baseline Allison transmission.

“The addition of FuelSense technology on our school buses allows our customers to lower their total cost of ownership even more by lowering their fuel costs,” said Ken Hedgecock, vice president of sales, marketing and service for Thomas Built Buses. “Fuel costs are among the highest annual expenditure for school bus fleets, and these new fuel-saving features can deliver significant savings.”

For more information about FuelSense, customers can speak with their local dealer or go to www.allisontransmission.com